Muslim-owned business tells US soldier to get out of Iraq

MILWAUKEE: An American GI in Iraq who emailed a Muslim-owned United States-based company to ask for a shipment of floor mats was told that he and his fellow soldiers should leave Iraq.

In an email dated Jan 16, Sgt Jason Hess asked about getting floor mats from a Wisconsin-based company, Bargain Suppliers.

A response emailed the same day said the company did not.

“And even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq,” said the email, which was signed “Bargain Suppliers”. The two-line email response quickly circulated on the Internet and has led to threats against the Muslim-owned business and demands for a boycott, with at least one site including a link to a photograph of the home of co-owner Faisal Khetani, a Muslim from Pakistan.

Bargain Suppliers, an online retailer based in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, shut down its Web site Monday and fired the unidentified employee who sent the email, WTMJ-TV reported. It also said that Khetani had received threatening telephone calls.

Talking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the company’s vice president, Sajid Nasir, said: “It’s really getting out of control. Our main concern is for the safety of the (Khetani) family. That’s more important than the business.”

Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Othman Atta described the employee’s response as inappropriate, adding that he feared a backlash against Muslims.

But in an email to The Associated Press, Hess said on Tuesday that the firing of the employee did not ease his anger over the original response, stressing that all customer requests should be met with courtesy. ap

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